CN101199396B - Cooking appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

A cooking appliance includes a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted to each other at one end by a slidable hinge. Stops at opposite ends of the cooking plates are pre-set to a first position that allows both surfaces to contact food, or a second position that supports one cooking plate in a spaced parallel relationship relative to the other cooking plate to allow a single surface to contact food. At least one of the cooking plates carries a removable plate on its outer surface that communicates with the interior of the cooking appliance for collecting oil droplets that accumulate in the cooking appliance during cooking operations.

Description

cooking utensils

Cross-references to related applications

This application is a continuation-in-part of US Patent Application Serial No. 11/580,119 filed October 13, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein.

technical field

The present invention relates to cooking appliances and more particularly to cooking appliances including pivotable cooking plates for cooking a variety of foods, such as for grilling meat, making waffles, heating buns, preparing pizza, and the like.

Background technique

Cooking appliances of the aforementioned type typically include a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted to each other from an open position allowing insertion and removal of food to be cooked to a closed position in which the food is cooked. In such cooking appliances, the pair of cooking plates are usually pivotally mounted to each other with a slideable hinge to allow the cooking plates to receive food between the two plates during the cooking operation. Such cooking utensils are usually used for barbecues, hamburgers, etc., so that the two cooking plates directly contact the food. Examples of cooking appliances of this type are described in US Pat. Nos. 5,606,905, 6,016,741 and 6,192,788.

The cooking appliance described in the latter US Pat. No. 6,192,788 is also provided with a structure for supporting one cooking plate in parallel spaced relation to the other, that is, providing only one surface in contact with the food being cooked. The cooking appliance thus becomes a kind of oven, with the food being cooked on one side in contact with the heating surface and on the other side at a distance from the other heating surface. Accordingly, such cooking utensils are well suited for preparing pizza or other food products sprinkled with bread crumbs etc. that form a crust on their outer surface. When using the cooking appliance for the latter purpose, it is important that one cooking plate is firmly supported in parallel spaced relation to the other. The above-mentioned US patent achieves this function by providing a protrusion and a base on the pivoting ends of the two cooking plates with slidable hinges. However, such a structure provides cantilevered support for the two cooking plates and therefore not only cannot reliably maintain the two cooking plates in a spaced apart parallel relationship, but is also subject to extreme stress, especially over time. The cooking plate will be deformed.

Another problem when using the cooking appliance, especially for grilling purposes, is the handling of oil dripping from the food during the grilling operation.

Contents of the invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooking appliance of the aforementioned type, which is equipped with an improved structure for use when the cooking appliance is used, for example, as an oven for baking pizza or the like. This is so that the two cooking plates are firmly supported in a spaced parallel relationship. Another object of the present invention is to provide a cooking appliance of the aforementioned type comprising an efficient means for collecting and processing the waste produced during the cooking operation, especially when the cooking appliance is used for roasts, hamburgers, etc. oil drop.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a cooking appliance comprising a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted to each other from an open position to a closed position allowing insertion and removal of food to be cooked, and a closed position to position cooking food; the pair of cooking plates are pivotally mounted to each other by slidable hinges at their ends; the pair of cooking plates include pre-settable stops at their opposite ends. When the stop is preset to the first position, both surfaces are allowed to come into contact with the food product. When the stop is preset to the second position, one cooking plate is supported in spaced parallel relationship with respect to the other cooking plate to allow a single surface to come into contact with the food product.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention described below, the presettable stop is located on the outer edge of the end of one of the cooking plates opposite the end of the slidable hinge. The stop may be preset to engage or disengage a fixed surface on the end of the other cooking plate opposite the end of the slidable hinge. More specifically, in the described preferred embodiment, the fixed surface on the other cooking plate is fixed on its outer edge, and the presettable stop on one cooking plate can be moved to the same position as the fixed stop. First position out of alignment or second position aligned with fixed stop.

It can thus be seen that in such a cooking appliance, the two cooking plates are supported in a parallel relationship spaced from their ends, thus producing a cantilever structure that is stronger, more reliable and also Much longer lasting support structure.

According to still further features in the described preferred embodiments at least one and preferably both cooking plates carry on their outer surface removable plates communicating with the interior of the cooking utensil for collecting Oil droplets in the appliance. In the preferred embodiment described, at least one and preferably both cooking plates carry on their outer surface a holder which is open on one side to allow sliding insertion and removal of said plates . Such a structure thus allows efficient collection and convenient removal of oil droplets produced during cooking operations, especially when the cooking appliance is used for grilling meat, hamburgers, etc.

Other features and advantages of preferred embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

Description of drawings

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a top perspective view of one form of cooking appliance constructed in accordance with the present invention in its closed state;

Figure 2 is a bottom perspective view of the appliance of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the appliance of Figure 1 in its open state;

Figure 4 is a side view of the appliance of Figure 1 in its closed state for storage;

Figure 5 is a side view of the appliance of Figure 1 from the opposite side;

Fig. 6 is a top perspective view illustrating that the utensil of Fig. 1 has only one surface in direct contact with the heating surface of the cooking utensil when its cooking plate is in the state of making pizza or other such food;

7 and 8 are side views corresponding to FIGS. 4 and 5 but illustrating the two cooking plates in the separated state of FIG. 6 .

It should be understood that the foregoing drawings and the following description are provided primarily for the purpose of facilitating an understanding of the conceptual aspects of the invention and its possible implementations including what are presently considered to be preferred embodiments. In the interest of clarity and brevity, no attempt is made to provide more detail than is necessary to enable one skilled in the art to understand and practice the described invention using conventional skill and structure. It should be further understood that the described embodiments are for purposes of example only and that the invention may be embodied in other forms and applications than those described herein.

Detailed ways

The illustrated cooking appliance includes two cooking plates, generally designated 10 and 20, respectively, for cooking food, pivotable to each other from an open position to a closed position by a hinge assembly, generally designated 30 (FIG. 3). The shaft is rotatably mounted. The open position shown in FIG. 3 allows the insertion and removal of cooked food, and the closed position shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 and 6 cooks food. Hinge assembly 30 is a slideable hinge of known construction which allows both cooking plates 10 and 20 to pivot not only to the open position shown in Figure 3, but also to a selected closed position. The two possible closed positions allow the two cooking plates to be in a closed parallel relationship as shown in Figures 1 and 2, or spaced apart from each other and in parallel relationship as shown in Figure 6. For example, when the utensil is used for grilling meat or hamburgers, preparing waffles, etc., the opposite two surfaces of the food are in direct contact with the heating surface of the cooking utensil, and the cooking utensil is in the state shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . And when the cooking utensil is used for preparing pizza, heating bread or other such purposes, the food has only one side and the heating surface of the utensil in direct contact, and the utensil will be in the state shown in FIG. 6 .

Each of the two cooking plates 10 and 20 includes a heating plate 11 and 21 respectively, on which electric heating elements (not shown) are arranged. Each heating plate 11 and 21 is removably retained over a heating element in its respective cooking plate by a clip 12 and 22 respectively engageable with the outer edge of the heating plate.

Various types of heating plates can be provided and selectively applied to various cooking plates according to the specific food being cooked. For example, Figure 3 shows heating plate 11 as a ribbed plate, and heating plate 21 as a smooth surface plate. Such a structure is especially useful when preparing pizza, for example, so that the ribbed plate 11 is in direct contact with the dough portion of the pizza, while the smooth plate 21 is in direct contact with the cheese, potato and other fillings of the various pizzas being prepared. The outer surface is separated.

Each cooking plate 10 and 20 also includes a depressible button 12a and 22a, respectively. The respective heating plates 11 and 21 are allowed to be removed when the buttons 12a and 22a are pressed. Any suitable structure can be used to securely lock the respective heating plate in place during cooking operations so that the device can be released by depressing the respective buttons 12a and 22a to allow removal of the heating plate and replacement of the other heating plate replace.

Each cooking plate 10 and 20 includes a separate control knob 13 and 23, respectively, for controlling its respective electric heater. Control knobs 13 and 23 provide on-off control and temperature selection control for the respective electric heating elements. Indicator lights 13a and 23a are provided adjacent to each control knob 13 and 23 to indicate the on-off status and temperature selection status of the respective electric heating elements.

As further shown in FIG. 3, the opposite end of each cooking plate 10 and 20 to the end connected to the slidable hinge 30 is provided with a handle 14 and 24, respectively, to facilitate carrying the cooking appliance in its closed state.

As previously mentioned, an important feature of the illustrated cooking appliance is that it is equipped to securely hold the two cooking plates 10 and 20 in parallel spaced relationship when used to prepare pizza and the like. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the handle 14 carried by the cooking plate 10 is provided with a pair of stops 15 which can be moved in slots 15a from their outer positions in their respective slots (as shown in FIG. 3) to their respective slots. The inner position in the move. The stop 15 cooperates with a fixed stop 25 carried by the handle 24 of the cooking plate 20, in a closed spaced position such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 for roasting meat or in FIG. The two cooking plates are selectively supported in a state separated by a large distance. Accordingly, the fixed stop 25 is fixed in position relative to the presettable stop 15 so as to align with the fixed stop 25 when the presettable stop 15 is moved to its outboard position within its respective slot 15a, thereby The two cooking plates are separated by a relatively large distance and are not aligned with the fixed stop 25 when the preset stop 15 is moved to its inboard position in its respective slot 15a, thereby allowing the two cooking plates to be more spaced apart. close to each other.

It can thus be seen that the aforesaid structure for keeping two cooking plates in a parallel relationship at a greater distance, for example for making pizza, etc., supports the two cooking plates from both ends, resulting in a greater distance than that of the previously cited U.S. patent. 6,192,788 Better, more reliable and longer-lasting support structures.

The handle 24 also includes two slots 25a inside the stop 25 for receiving the stop 15 of the handle 14 when the stop 15 is preset to its inner position in its respective slot 15a. The handle 24 also includes a central protrusion 25b aligned with the central groove 15b of the handle 14 so that the central protrusion 25b is received in the central groove 15b in the fully closed state of the two cooking plates 10 and 20 .

The cooking plates 10 and 20 carry on their outer surfaces removable plates, indicated at 16 and 26 respectively, in communication with the interior of the cooking vessel for collecting oil droplets accumulated inside the cooking vessel during cooking operations. The two cooking plates also comprise holders, indicated at 16a and 26a respectively, open on the side facing the respective handles 14 and 24 for inserting and removing the respective plates 16 and 26 . Each cooking plate includes one or more openings, shown schematically in dashed line 16b in FIG. 3, for establishing communication with its respective plates 16 and 26.

The illustrated cooking appliance may be supported on a flat, horizontal surface such as a table or countertop with cooking plate 10 positioned below cooking plate 20 as shown in FIG. 1 . For such purpose, cooking plate 10 is equipped with a pair of feet 17 (FIG. 2) that straddle above plate holder 16a; while cooking plate 20 is equipped with a single foot 27 in the center of its plate holder 26a (FIG. 1). .

The illustrated cooking appliance is generally openable to a partially open position in which the cooking plate 10 extends horizontally and the cooking plate 20 extends vertically relative to the cooking plate 10 . This facilitates putting the cooked food into the utensil or removing the cooked food after cooking. When it is desired to fully open the cooking appliance, buttons 28a and 28b carried by the two cooking plates 20 must be pressed, thereby allowing the cooking plates 20 to open to the fully open position shown in FIG. 3 .

As further shown in FIG. 1, cooking plate 20 also includes a button 28c on its outer edge adjacent to handle 24 thereof. Pressing the button 28c can cause the cooking appliance to be opened from the position shown in FIG. Figure 3 shows the fully open position.

Power is provided to the cooking appliance via a lead 18 ( FIG. 1 ) leading into the cooking plate 10 and another lead 18 a leading into the cooking plate 20 . The latter wire 18a is preferably enclosed in a tube of the helical type as shown in FIG. 1 to accommodate the pivotal movement of the cooking plate 20 relative to the cooking plate 10.

As further shown in FIG. 1, the other ends of the two cooking plates 10, 20 opposite to the ends carrying their respective handles 14 and 24 are provided with legs 19 and 29, respectively, for vertical support in their positions as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The cooking appliance is shown in the fully closed state for easy storage.

Vent openings indicated by 10a and 20a are provided on the outer periphery of the two cooking plates 10 and 20 for ventilating the interior of the cooking utensil to the atmosphere during the cooking process.

The manner in which the illustrated cooking appliance is used will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and the foregoing description.

Therefore, usually the cooking appliance is in its fully closed state, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, for convenient storage when not in use.

When in use, the cooking appliance is placed on a flat, horizontal surface such as a table or cooking surface, with the cooking plate 20 above the cooking plate 10 as shown in FIG. 1 . Push button 28c then enables cooking plate 20 to pivot to its partially open position where cooking plate 20 extends vertically relative to horizontally extending cooking plate 10 . This allows easy placement of the food to be cooked into the appliance. If desired, buttons 28a and 28b (FIG. 3) carried by cooking plate 20 may be depressed to allow the appliance to be fully opened to the position shown in FIG.

If cooking is pizza, breaded food or other food that only has one surface in direct contact with the hot cooking plate 20, the cooking plate 20 will pivot to its spaced closed position as shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. position, now the cooking plate 20 is parallel to the cooking plate 10, but separated from the cooking plate 10 and the food thereon. It can therefore be seen that, in such spaced cooking positions, the heating plate 21 of the appliance is spaced from the upper surface of the food to be cooked. As previously stated, in order to place the cooking plate 20 in its spaced position, the two pre-settable stops 15 will first be pre-set into their respective outboard positions in the groove 15a, as shown in FIG. The fixed stop 25 carried by the cooking plate 20 is aligned. When the stopper 15 is set in this way, the two cooking plates 10 and 20 are separated from each other by the height of the two stoppers 15 and 25 .

Sliding hinges 30 at opposite ends of the two cooking plates allow for spaced cooking positions of the two cooking plates. The hinge also cooperates with stops 15 and 25 at opposite ends of their respective cooking plates to securely support the two cooking plates in the spaced apart position.

The control knobs 13 and 23 of the two cooking plates can then be manipulated to energize the heating elements in the two cooking plates while simultaneously controlling the temperature produced by the heating elements.

When it is desired to cook food such as meat, hamburgers, waffles, etc. with the utensil shown in the figure, the two movable stoppers 15 carried by the cooking plate 10 are moved to the inner positions in their respective grooves 15a, and are fixed with the fixed stoppers carried by the cooking plate 20. The stopper 25 is not aligned, but is aligned with the slot 25a inside the fixed stopper 25 . Correspondingly, the cooking plate 20 can then pivot to its fully closed position as shown in FIGS. The slots 15b of the cooking plate 10 will allow this to be achieved.

If the food produces any oil droplets during the cooking operation, such oil droplets will be collected in the respective plates 16 carried by the cooking plate 10 . The tray may be periodically removed for cleaning purposes. The cooking plate 20 is also provided with a similar plate 16 in order to prevent the cooking plate 20 from occupying a lower position when the cooking appliance is in use.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment, it should be understood that this description is for illustrative purposes only and that many other variations, modifications and applications are possible with respect to the invention.

Claims (16)

1. A cooking utensil, characterized in that the cooking utensil comprises: a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted to each other from an open position for allowing insertion and removal of food products to a closed position for cooking food products; said pair of cooking plates are pivotally mounted to each other by a slidable hinge at one end of said cooking plates; The pair of cooking plates include pre-settable stops at opposite ends thereof, the stops being pre-settable to a first position allowing both sides to come into contact with the food product, or to a predetermined position relative to one cooking plate. a second position in which another cooking plate is supported in spaced parallel relationship to allow single-sided contact with the food product; Wherein the presettable stop is located on the outer edge of the end of one of the cooking plates opposite the end of the slidable hinge, the presettable stop can be preset to engage another a fixed surface on or separate from the fixed surface on the end of said cooking plate opposite the end of said slidable hinge; Wherein the fixed surface on the other cooking plate is fixed on its outer edge, and the presettable stoppers on the one cooking plate can be moved in respective grooves so as not to contact with the fixed surface aligned first position, or moved to a second position aligned with the fixed surface. 2. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein the ends of the two cooking plates opposite to the ends of the slidable hinges are provided with means for carrying the cooking appliance in its closed state. handle. 3. The cooking appliance as claimed in claim 1, wherein said pair of cooking plates includes a foot at one end of said slidable hinge, which allows the cooking appliance to be stably supported in a closed vertical position On a flat, level surface for easy storage when not in use. 4. The cooking appliance of claim 3, wherein each of said cooking plates includes feet on an outer surface thereof engageable with said flat horizontal surface for use as a pair of cooking plates When pivoted to expand substantially in alignment with each other, the cooking utensil in the open state is stably supported to allow easy insertion or removal of food. 5. The cooking appliance of claim 1, wherein at least one of said cooking plates carries on its outer surface a removable plate communicating with the interior of said cooking appliance for use in cooking In operation, oil droplets accumulated in the cooking appliance are received. 6. The cooking appliance as claimed in claim 5, wherein said at least one cooking plate carries on its outer surface a holder open on one side to allow sliding insertion and removal of said dish. 7. The cooking appliance of claim 5, wherein two of said cooking plates carry on their outer surfaces removable plates communicating with the interior of said cooking appliance for receiving during cooking operations Oil droplets collected in the cooking utensil. 8. The cooking appliance according to claim 1, wherein vent holes are formed on the outer peripheral edges of the pair of cooking plates, and the ventilation holes allow the inside of the cooking appliance to ventilate to the atmosphere during the cooking operation. 9. A cooking utensil, characterized in that the cooking utensil comprises: a pair of cooking plates pivotally mounted to each other from an open position for allowing insertion and removal of food products to a closed position for cooking food products; said pair of cooking plates are pivotally mounted to each other by a slidable hinge at one end of said cooking plates; at least one of said two cooking plates carries on its outer surface a removable pan communicating with the interior of said cooking appliance for receiving oil droplets accumulated in said cooking appliance during cooking operations; Wherein said pair of cooking plates includes pre-settable stops at their opposite ends, the stops being pre-settable to a first position allowing both sides to come into contact with the food, or pre-set to a position relative to one cooking plate. a second position in which the plates support another cooking plate in spaced parallel relationship to allow single-sided contact with the food product; Wherein the presettable stop is located on the outer edge of the end of one of the cooking plates opposite the end of the slidable hinge, the presettable stop can be preset to engage another a fixed surface on or separate from the fixed surface on the end of said cooking plate opposite the end of said slidable hinge; Wherein the fixed surface on the other cooking plate is fixed on its outer edge, and the presettable stoppers on the one cooking plate can be moved in respective grooves so as not to contact with the fixed surface aligned first position, or moved to a second position aligned with the fixed surface. 10. The cooking appliance according to claim 9, wherein said at least one cooking plate carries on its outer surface a holder open on one side to allow sliding insertion and removal of said dish. 11. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein two of said cooking plates carry on their outer surfaces removable plates communicating with the interior of said cooking appliance for receiving during cooking operations Oil droplets collected in the cooking utensil. 12. The cooking appliance according to claim 9, wherein vent holes are formed on the outer peripheral edges of the pair of cooking plates, and the ventilation holes allow the inside of the cooking appliance to ventilate to the atmosphere during the cooking operation. 13. The cooking appliance of claim 9, wherein said presettable stop is located on an outer edge of an end of said cooking plate opposite an end of said slidable hinge, wherein The presettable stop may be preset to engage or disengage a fixed surface on the other end of the cooking plate opposite the end of the slidable hinge. 14. The cooking utensil of claim 13, wherein the opposite end of the cooking plate provided with the presettable stop is also provided with a catch for carrying the cooking utensil in its closed state. handle. 15. The cooking appliance as claimed in claim 9, wherein said pair of cooking plates includes a foot at one end of said slidable hinge, which allows the cooking appliance to be stably supported in a closed vertical position On a flat, level surface for easy storage when not in use. 16. The cooking appliance of claim 15, wherein each of said cooking plates includes a foot on an outer surface thereof engageable with said flat horizontal surface for use when the pair of cooking plates When pivoted to expand substantially in alignment with each other, the cooking utensil in the open state is stably supported to allow easy insertion or removal of food.

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